First drive: 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

With a sexy look and improved handling qualities, the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan will be a car that drivers relish. Pictured is the 2015 C250 BlueTec.

PHOTO: Handout, Mercedes-Benz

The new C-Class sedan’s interior buttons and controls have a quality feel and weight when being operated. The familiar Command control wheel (Mercedes-Benz’s version of BMW’s iDrive) now has an accompanying touchpad with haptic feedback.

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz C250 BlueTec. The new C-Class is a bit bigger than its predecessor (which has been on-sale since 2007) inside and out and is up to 100 kilograms lighter to make it sip less fuel and behave livelier on the road.

PHOTO: Handout, Mercedes-Benz

2015 Mercedes-Benz C400 4MATIC.

PHOTO: Handout, Mercedes-Benz

The C-Class can be tailored to driving conditions via a console-mounted Agility button.

By John LeBlanc

Originally published: March 26, 2014

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MARSEILLE, France – How’s this for great timing? Mercedes-Benz is spending this year launching an all-new generation of its C-Class compact sedan — the German automaker’s biggest seller worldwide. Sandwiched between the recent premiere of the latest BMW 3 Series and the expected launch in 2015 of an all-new Audi A4, the new, fifth-generation 2015 C-Class should have the spotlight all to itself for the next few months or so. And based on a brief drive here in the south of France, any attention the small four-door ‘Benz gets is richly deserved.

To keep up with its Teutonic competition (and strong upstarts like the Cadillac ATS, Infiniti Q50 and Lexus IS) Mercedes-Benz has been uncharacteristically adventurous with its new family of rear- and all-wheel-drive C-Class sedans. In short, the new C comes with the looks, features and hardware normally associated with the larger (and more expensive) fullsize S-Class sedans.

For example, the new 2015 C-Class is a bit bigger than its predecessor (which has been on-sale since 2007) inside and out and is up to 100 kilograms lighter to make it sip less fuel and behave more lively on the road. The S-Class mimicry continues inside as well. In what is becoming a Mercedes-Benz interior design theme, large circular vents split a sweeping, well-organized centre console topped by an iPad-like colour display screen.

The new C-Class sedan’s interior buttons and controls have a quality feel and weight when being operated. The familiar Command control wheel (Mercedes-Benz’s version of BMW’s iDrive) now has an accompanying touchpad with haptic feedback.Handout, Mercedes-Benz

The new C-Class sedan’s interior buttons and controls have a quality feel and weight when being operated. The familiar Command control wheel (Mercedes-Benz’s version of BMW’s iDrive) now has an accompanying touchpad with haptic feedback. And when you factor in the various aluminum and wood trims available, the overall feeling is not only much more stylish and upscale than the outgoing C-Class but also a big jump up from the recently introduced (and about $6,000 less expensive) front- or all-wheel-drive CLA-Class compact sedan.

To assuage buyers who feel a smaller ‘Benz means a less safe car, the new C-Class receives the majority of the latest safety-kit normally found on the larger E- and S-Class models. All 2015 C-Class models come with standard Blind Spot Assist, Collision Prevention Assist Plus (a system that limits the danger of rear-end collisions) and Pre-Safe (an anticipatory occupant protection system). Optional is the automaker’s Parktronic with Active Parking Assist, which, at speeds below 36 kilometres per hour, automatically searches for appropriate parking spots, then takes over and parallel parks the car on its own.

While the high-performance C 63 AMG version won’t arrive until late-2015, and a diesel C250 BlueTec is on the way, when the 2015 C-Class goes on sale in Canada this September, two turbocharged gas engine models will initially be offered, both available only with all-wheel-drive and automatic transmissions.

The 2015 C300 4MATIC will be the new entry model, powered by an equally new 2.0-litre four-cylinder, making 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Subsequently, the outgoing 2014 C350 4MATIC is being supplanted for 2015 by the C400 4MATIC, which gets a 329 hp and 354 lb.-ft. 3.0L six. As for pricing, Mercedes-Benz Canada won’t make that available until closer to the new cars’ on-sale date. As a point of reference, the outgoing 2014 C250 4MATIC starts at $42,000 and the 2014 C350 4MATIC for about $10,000 more.

Mercedes-Benz boasts that the new C-Class is the best driver’s car in its class. A bold statement, considering the last model sacrificed a comfortable ride for driving dynamics. But with the exception of one demerit (which I’ll get to), the 2015 C-Class is indeed a car that driver’s will relish.

The C-Class can be tailored to driving conditions via a console-mounted Agility button. Drivers can access five modes — from the fuel-efficiency-first Eco mode to Individual — altering the parameters of the engine, transmission, suspension, steering, climate control or Eco start/stop function. At the media drive, I got a chance to pilot the new European-spec versions of the 2015 C250 BlueTec and C400 4MATIC. Both were resolutely composed over any kind of bad pavement, with a bank vault-like body structure that allowed for crisp handling as well.

If not as agile as the class-leading Cadillac ATS, the new C-Class stitches corners together seamlessly and with less effort than its predecessor. The 2015 version feels like it’s always one step ahead of the driver, whereas the older model felt one step behind. The lighter chassis certainly aids in the new ‘Benz sedan’s eagerness to change direction, yet never allows road imperfections to shrug it off course.

The lone demerit? Unfortunately, the new C-Class is yet another vehicle with a fuel-efficient electric steering system that will have driver’s pining for the old hydraulic setups, mainly due to its inconsistent feel and light touch.

Otherwise, the new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class appears to have accomplished all of its maker’s goals. With a roomier and more luxurious cabin, state-of-the-art safety gear, and outstanding road manners, the new C-Class successfully bridges the gap between traditional Mercedes-Benz customers and those who may have been shopping at rival (i.e. “sportier”) brand showrooms.

Passengers will benefit from a slightly roomier interior inside the new C-Class.Handout, Mercedes-Benz